/æ/

The /æ/ sound in English is a voiced near-low front vowel, which means it’s a sound made with the tongue positioned as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant, and with vocal cord vibration. Here’s how you pronounce it:

• Position your mouth and tongue: For the /æ/ sound, your mouth should be open wide, and the front of your tongue should be low in your mouth. The back of your tongue should be slightly raised.
• Voicing: The /æ/ sound is a voiced vowel, meaning your vocal cords vibrate when you produce this sound. You should feel a vibration if you lightly touch the front of your throat while saying the sound.
• Release the sound: With your mouth open wide and your tongue positioned low at the front of your mouth, let your breath flow out over your tongue and through your mouth. The vocal cords vibrate to produce the /æ/ sound.